The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a group of one U.S. national park and three California state parks located along the northern California coast. Together, these parks include Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The parks cover 139,000 acres (560 km²) and protect 45% of the remaining old-growth coast redwood forests. Part of the area is old-growth forest, which is recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network.
These parks are located in Del Norte and Humboldt counties and protect the endangered coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), which is the tallest, oldest, and most massive tree species on Earth. These trees grow in humid temperate rainforests. The region is near earthquake faults and has a risk of tsunamis. The parks protect 37 miles (60 km) of untouched coastline, native plants and animals, grasslands, cultural resources, waterways, and threatened species like Chinook salmon, northern spotted owls, and Steller’s sea lions.
Coast redwood forests once covered more than 2 million acres (8,100 km²) along the California coast. Most of the area that is now the parks remained wild until after 1850. The California Gold Rush and the logging industry caused major changes, harming Indigenous peoples and providing lumber to the West Coast. Uncontrolled logging continued for decades, followed by efforts to protect the forests. In the 1920s, the Save the Redwoods League helped create Prairie Creek, Del Norte Coast, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks. After advocacy by the league and the Sierra Club, Congress established Redwood National Park in 1968 and expanded it in 1978. In 1994, the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation combined Redwood National Park with the three nearby Redwoods State Parks into one administrative unit. Today, park managers aim to protect and restore coast redwood forests to their condition before 1850, including using controlled burns.
In 1980, the United Nations recognized the parks for their rare ecosystem and cultural history by designating them a World Heritage Site. In 2023, local tribes created an Indigenous Marine Stewardship Area to protect the parks, coastline, and coastal waters. Admission to the parks is free except for special permits, and visitors can camp, hike, bike, and ride horses along about 200 miles (320 km) of trails in the park system.
History
Modern-day Native American nations such as the Yurok, Tolowa, Karuk, Chilula, and Wiyot have historical ties to the region, which has had many indigenous people living there for thousands of years. Historian David Stannard says the area had more than thirty Native American nations living there, which is a very high number. Scholar Gail L. Jenner estimates that at least fifteen tribal groups lived along the coastline.
The Yurok, Chilula, and Tolowa were most closely connected to the areas now included in the parks. According to a census from 1852, anthropologist Alfred Kroeber estimated that the Yurok population was about 2,500. Historian Ed Bearss said the Yurok were the largest group in the area, with about 55 villages. Until the 1860s, the Chilula lived in the middle part of the Redwood Creek valley, near redwood trees. They settled along Redwood Creek between the coast and Minor Creek, California, and in summer, they traveled to the Bald Hills. The Tolowa lived near the Smith River and on lands now part of Jedediah Smith State Park. Excavations in the 21st century found that this area has been inhabited for at least 8,500 years.
Native Americans in the park areas used redwood trees for building materials. Some tribes, like the Chilula, believed the trees were gifts from a creator. They cut redwoods into planks and used them to build boats, houses, and villages. To make buildings, planks were placed side by side in a narrow trench. The top parts were tied with willow or hazel and held in place by notches in the roof beams. Redwood boards were used to make two- or three-pitched roofs.
Historians believe the first Europeans to visit the area near the parks were members of the Cabrillo expedition led by Bartolomé Ferrer. In 1543, Ferrer’s ship landed at Cape Mendocino and may have reached as far north as the 43rd parallel. Hubert Howe Bancroft disagreed, saying Ferrer’s ship did not travel that far. Explorers like Francis Drake sailed past the coast but did not stop until 1775, when Spanish explorers Bruno de Heceta and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra spent about ten days at the Yurok village of Tsurai, near the parks. George Vancouver and Francisco de Eliza visited in 1793. American fur trading ships from Russia stopped at Tsurai in the early 1800s.
Before Jedediah Smith in 1828, no European explorer is known to have explored the interior of the Northern California coastal region. Smith and his companions left San Jose, California, and explored what are now called the Trinity, Smith, and Klamath rivers. They passed through redwood forests and traded with Native American groups. They reached the coast near Requa, which is now part of the parks.
The California Gold Rush of 1848 brought many Europeans and Americans to California. Gold found along the Trinity River in 1850 brought people to the parks’ region. This led to conflicts where Native Americans were displaced, attacked, and killed. By 1895, only one-third of the Yurok in one group of villages remained. By 1919, most of the Chilula tribe had died or been absorbed into other tribes. The Tolowa, who had fewer than 1,000 people by the 1850s, had only about 120 members in 1910, due to massacres between 1853 and 1855.
Redwood logging began after gold mining. Redwood trees have straight grain, making them easy to cut into planks. Because redwood resists weather and does not warp, it became valuable. Jenner says two men could cut through a redwood tree at about one foot per hour with a crosscut saw, their main tool until after World War II. Because vehicles could not travel the rough land, teams of six or twelve oxen transported logs to roads. Rivers and railroads carried the logs to mills. After the 1881 invention of the steam donkey, logging companies started cutting down trees to clear paths, a practice called clearcutting. Caterpillar tractors began competing with manual labor in the late 1920s.
After heavy logging, people began trying to save the remaining trees. Challenges to conservation included opposition from the logging industry, the construction of the Redwood Highway, which brought more visitors, and the demand for lumber after World War II.
Groups formed to protect the trees. John Muir, concerned about the sequoias in Yosemite, helped start the Sierra Club in 1892. The Sempervirens Club, founded in 1900 by artist Andrew P. Hill, helped create the first state park in California. In 1916, politician William Kent bought land and helped create the National Park Service (NPS). In 1918, John Merriam and others started the Save the Redwoods League, which bought land and raised money for parks. Historian Susan Schrepfer says the league and the Sierra Club worked for sixty years to protect old trees from logging companies.
In 1919, with Congress interested but no money, NPS director Stephen Mather used his own funds to buy parkland. The Save the Redwoods League passed a compromise bill in 1923, allowing the state to buy land for parks. In 1925, the league supported a bill to survey the state’s land and buy more parks. In 1926, the league hired Frederick Law Olmsted to do the survey. The league added a plan to use $6 million in bonds to match private donations for land purchases. After a governor vetoed the bill in 1925, the league expanded its efforts, gained media support, and won approval in 1927.
In 1927, Olmsted’s survey found only 3% of the state’s redwoods could be saved. He recommended four areas for
Park management
Redwood National Park is managed directly by the National Park Service (NPS) from an office in Crescent City, California. The three state parks are managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Park management works with tribal leaders, as the parks include land and village sites belonging to groups such as the Yurok and Tolowa. The NPS manages about 1,400 acres (5.7 km) of federal park land and waters located within the Yurok Indian Reservation.
Redwood National Park management handles many responsibilities beyond protecting redwoods and other living species. They control areas where motor vehicles, boats, drones, horses, pets, and bicycles are not allowed. Management also sets rules for camping, campfires, food storage, and use in remote areas, as well as requiring necessary permits.
When it opened in 1969, Redwood National Park had six permanent employees. As of 2023, the combined Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) had 96 permanent and 52 temporary staff members. Early park managers focused on restoring old buildings, improving water systems, and creating plans to protect wildlife. Until 1980, managers believed the three state parks, which are inside the national park boundaries, would be donated to the NPS. This did not happen, so the NPS and the state signed an agreement in 1994 to jointly manage the parks and agreed to the name "Redwood National and State Parks." As of 2021, the combined RNSP had 1,185,000 visitors each year.
Geology
The California Coast Ranges include both coastline and mountain areas within the park boundaries. Most of the rocks in the parks are part of the Franciscan assemblage, which includes metamorphic and sedimentary rocks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Beneath the Redwood Creek basin, there are also marine and alluvial sedimentary deposits from the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. These sedimentary rocks are mostly sandstone, siltstone, and shale, with smaller amounts of chert, greenstone, and metamorphic rocks.
The parks are located in one of the most seismically active regions in the United States. Frequent small earthquakes in the park and offshore in the Pacific Ocean have caused changes in river paths, landslides, and erosion of seaside cliffs. The North American, Pacific, and Gorda tectonic plates meet at the Mendocino triple junction, about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of the parks. During the 1990s, more than nine earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.0 occurred along this fault zone. In 2022, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake with its underground center off the coast caused two deaths. Visitor centers closed temporarily, but the parks remained open. This area is the most likely in the continental United States to experience tsunamis, and visitors near the seacoast are advised to move to higher ground immediately after any major earthquake. The parks’ elevation ranges from below sea level up to 837 meters (2,746 feet) at Rodgers Peak.
Climate
The Redwood National and State Parks have a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). They receive a lot of rain throughout the year, with the most rain in winter. Rain decreases in June and September, and the two driest months are July and August.
The parks are part of a temperate rainforest that stretches along the western coast of the United States. The nearby Pacific Ocean greatly influences the climate in the parks. Temperatures near the coast usually stay between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (4–15 °C) all year. Redwoods grow in this area with a steady, temperate climate. Most redwoods grow at least one to two miles (1.5–3 km) inland to avoid salty air, but they never grow more than 50 miles (80 km) from the coast. In this humid coastal zone, the trees get water from heavy winter rains and summer fog. The summer fog is more important for the trees’ health than the rain. This is shown by the fact that the parks receive about 71 inches (180 cm) of rain each year, and healthy redwood forests exist in areas with less rain because the summer fog and cooler temperatures help meet the trees’ water needs. Rare snow falls mostly on hills and mountains inside and near the park.
Some parts of the parks are threatened by climate change. Higher average temperatures have led to worse water quality, harming fish and other animals. Rising sea levels also threaten buildings near the coast. Redwoods benefit from higher carbon levels and are able to withstand temperature changes. Scientists worry that climate change may cause coast redwoods to move outside protected areas, and many researchers have studied assisted migration, which involves helping redwoods relocate to new areas if needed.
Ecology
The Redwood National and State Parks protect an area that includes the largest connected old-growth coast redwood forest and homes for endangered species.
In 2006, the tallest living tree, a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) named Hyperion, was discovered in Redwood National Park. It stands 380 feet (120 m) tall. The next tallest trees are Helios at 377 feet (115 m) and Icarus at 371 feet (113 m), also in Redwood National Park. For many years, a tree called "Tall Tree" in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park was believed to be the tallest, measuring 367.8 feet (112.1 m). Professor Stephen C. Sillett of Cal Poly Humboldt University noted in the 1990s that the ground near the base of this tree was hardened from the many people who stood there. The top 10 feet (3.0 m) of the tree died in the 1970s and fell in the 1990s. In 2022, the National Park Service (NPS) announced fines of up to $5,000 ($5,501 in 2025) and jail time of up to six months for visitors who approach the tallest living tree. Instead, visitors are shown views of other trees.
Mature coast redwoods live about 500–700 years on average, with some trees recorded as being 2,000 years old. In 1990, a group of trees in Humboldt Redwoods State Park had the highest recorded biomass. Redwoods grow large limbs that collect deep organic soil, where new redwood trunks and epiphytic plants can grow. Mats of epiphytic ferns above ground provide homes for invertebrates, mollusks, earthworms, and salamanders.
Redwoods grow best on sheltered slopes and moist flat ground near rivers below 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation. Coastal fog supplies about 40 percent of their yearly water. Redwoods have lived along the northern California coast for at least 20 million years and are related to tree species from the Jurassic era 160 million years ago. About 96 percent of the world’s old-growth coast redwood forest has been cut down, and nearly half (45 percent) of what remains is in the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). The parks protect 38,982 acres (157.75 km²) of old-growth forest, split evenly between federal and state management. In 2011, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the coast redwood as an endangered species.
Coast redwoods often grow together with fast-growing coast Douglas-fir trees. Near the ocean, red alder trees replace redwoods because they tolerate salt water better. The tallest known Sitka spruce grows in the parks. Sitka spruce are common along the coast and better adapted to salty air than other species. Other trees include tanoak, Pacific madrone, bigleaf maple, and California laurel.
Huckleberry and snowberry are part of the forest understory. California rhododendron and azalea are flowering shrubs found in the parks. Sword fern and redwood sorrel are common plants.
In Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Fern Canyon is a famous 50-foot (15 m) deep ravine with walls covered in ferns, including California maidenhair, deer fern, California polypody, licorice fern, and western swordfern. Some of these ferns have ancestors that lived 325 million years ago.
The parks include many ecosystems—seacoast, river, prairie, and dense forest—that provide homes for rare and endangered species. About 66 land mammal species live in the parks, including black bears, coyotes, cougars, bobcats, beavers, river otters, and black-tailed deer. Roosevelt elk are the most commonly seen large mammals. Herds of Roosevelt elk, once nearly extinct, are now common in the parks. Other mammals include bats, minks, martens, red squirrels, flying squirrels, shrews, moles, brush rabbits, gophers, and raccoons.
Twenty-eight species of animals are federally recognized as endangered, threatened, or candidates for protection. About a third of these can be regularly seen in the parks. The bald eagle, which nests near water, is listed as an endangered species in California. Chinook salmon, northern spotted owl, and Steller’s sea lion are also threatened. The tidewater goby, a federally endangered species, lived near the Pacific coastline but was removed from the parks in 1968 due to changes in water salinity. The candlefish disappeared in the 1970s. Sea otters were removed from the parks at the start of the 20th century, but river otters remain. The marbled murrelet, an endangered species, nests high in redwood trees.
Along the coastline, California sea lions, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals live near the shore and on seastacks. Dolphins and Pacific gray whales are sometimes seen offshore. Brown pelicans and three types of cormorants live on cliffs and seastacks, while sandpipers and three types of gulls live along the seacoast and inland. Freshwater birds like the common merganser, osprey, red-tailed hawk, herons, and jays are found inland. About 280 bird species, or one-third of those in the United States, live in the parks.
Reptiles like four types of sea turtles live offshore and sometimes on beaches. Amphibians such as the gopher snake, tailed frog, clouded salamander, and three types of newts live in the parks. The banana slug and yellow-spotted millipede, which are detritivores, are also found in the parks.
Over 200 non-native species live in the RNSP. Of these, 30 are invasive, and 10 are threats to local species and ecosystems. Non-native plants make up about a quarter of the total plant life in the parks. In old-growth areas, about 1 percent of plants are non-native, while 50 to 75 percent are non-native in the Bald Hills prairies. Spotted knapweed and poison hemlock were considered for a high-priority watch list in 2015.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) manages fires in the redwoods state parks, while the NPS manages fires in the national park.
Coast redwood bark, which can be up to a foot thick, does not contain resin, making the trees fire-resistant and able to regrow after fires. The redwood forest is foggy, humid, and rarely affected by fire. Lightning strikes are rare, so most fires are caused by humans. A 2003 fire was an exception, started by a lightning storm that burned in 274 locations in California, including the Canoe Fire in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Old-growth coast redwoods have the highest volume of fuels of any forest type.
Before European settlers arrived around 1300 and until the 1850s, the Tolowa people intentionally set low-intensity ground fires. Indigenous groups like the Karuk and Tolowa used fire to protect tanoak trees and their acorns, a key food source. Their fires improved hunting grounds, reduced pests, and lowered the risk of large fires. Evidence shows medium-intensity surface fires were set regularly, but today, after decades of fire suppression and increased fuel density, maximum-intensity crown fires are more likely.
Recreation
The parks have five visitor centers that provide general information, maps, and souvenirs. Some centers also offer summer activities led by park rangers. There is no entry fee for the RNSP, but some camping areas and park sections require paid passes.
Since the DeMartin Redwood Youth Hostel near Klamath, California, closed in 2019, there are no hotels or motels within the parks' boundaries. The parks are about 325 miles (523 km) north of San Francisco and can be reached by air, car, or public transit. The National Park Service (NPS) does not provide lodging, but it offers links to towns along US 101, including Brookings, Oregon; Crescent City, Klamath, Orick, Trinidad, McKinleyville, Arcata, Eureka, Ferndale, and the counties of Del Norte and Humboldt, California.
The state parks have four frontcountry campgrounds that can be reached by vehicle and require a fee. The parks' website recommends making a reservation. These include Mill Creek Campground in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park and Jedediah Smith Campground in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, which together have 231 campsites; Elk Prairie Campground in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, with 75 campsites; and Gold Bluffs Beach Campground, with 26 campsites. Other nearby parks and recreation areas offer additional camping options.
Hiking is the only way to reach the seven backcountry camping areas, which require a permit. Camping is allowed only in designated sites, except for dispersed camping on gravel bars along Redwood Creek. Visitors must store food properly to avoid bear encounters and remove all trash. The NPS follows the seven principles of Leave No Trace.
The parks have almost 200 miles (320 km) of hiking trails. Trails are often wet throughout the year, and hikers should prepare for rainy weather and check information centers for trail updates. Some temporary footbridges are removed during the rainy season to avoid damage from high water levels.
Horseback riding and mountain biking are allowed on certain trails. Kayaking is permitted, and ranger-led kayak tours are available during the summer. Kayakers and canoeists often use the Smith River, the longest undammed river in California. Visitors can fish for salmon and trout in the Smith and Klamath rivers and catch smelt and perch in beach areas. A California sport fishing license is required to fish in any of the rivers or streams.